Stacking machine



April 27, 1948,

J. A. Pon-RAS sTAcxINe MACHINE Y Filed Nov. s, 1944 N INVENTOR. l ./osep Fazi/a5 BY April Z7, 1948. v J. A. POITRAS STACKING MACHINE Filed Nov. 6, 1944 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 IN V EN TOR.

April 27, 1948 J. A. PolTRAs 2,440,347

STACKING MACHINE Filed Nov. e, 1944 '7 sheets-heet 4 ATTORNEYS.

April 27, 1948. J; A. POITRAS sTAcKING MACHINE 'Filed Nov. e, i944 '7 Sheets-Sheet 5 H. Ww. WWA @om /ww April 27, 1948- J. A, Pon-RAS 2,440,347

STACKING MACHINE Filed Nov. 6, 1944 l 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 April 27, 1948. J. A. PolTRAs STACKING MACHINEV l Filed Nov.

6, 1944 '7 Sheets-Sheet 7 INVETOR. Jaw/ l ,D0/zw# BY @LK :4% @LT Patented Apr. 27, 1948 Joseph A. reinas, ort Lee, ass

Manufacturing,Coi-poration, New York, N; Y., a corporation of New York Application Nov. s, 1944, serai Nt. man' 2 cams. (c1.l tro-5s) This invention relates to a machine Afor `facilitating the stacking of small plates or sheets, and is of particular utility inthe alternate stacking of plates or sheets of different materials, as for example the conducting and nonconducting layers of an electrical condenser.

As the description of this disclosure proceeds it will become apparent that th'e subject matter ofv the invention is applicable to the stacking of a plurality of plates or sheets of any material. Therefore, although the disclosure will be made in reference to the stacking of the insulating and conducting plates of a condenser, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its adaptation to this single use.

The main object of the invention is' to provide a mechanism by means of which the alternate layers of insulating and conducting plates of an electrical condenser may be properly positioned,

l as they are stacked,4 and counted, so as to insure uniformity in the electrical capacity of the resulting condensers.

Broadly considered the 'mechanism includes means `for locating the insulating plates which may be of paper, mica, and other similar materials, in proper position, and for delivering to the stack thus being formed, alternately with the insulating layers, the metal or conducting plates such as tin, lead or aluminum foil. Th'e Vmachine includes mechanism for feeding the tape from a roll of the material, in the case of a condenser, metal foil, cutting it to predetermined lengths to form plates, and delivering them onto the stack, and means for transversely aligning the conducting plates, so as to properly position them in a lateral direction.

An important object of this invention isto provide a mechanism for alternately shifting the stacking ixture in a lateral direction so thatthe conducting plates which are fed aloner a fixed axis are caused to project alternately from opposite sides of the stacked insulating plates, previously positioned by hand'.

A still further object of the invention is to provide mechanism for automatically counting the number of conducting plates supplied to thestack so that each assembled condenser will accurately include a predetermined number of conducting plates.

Other and further objects of the yinvention will be apparent from the following detailed descrip- `2 bination, consti* action,` arrangement .and relative 1ocation of parts, al1 as will be described in deban -`2in. thegaceompanying drawings, in which the same reference numbers will `loe used throughout of ,electrical 4o' Figure ;1 is 4a Side elevational view of the mal chineof themvention aiasrammaticallv illustrating Vsome parts and showing several parts broken away; y c f Figure 2 is,arautelellatienal view 'f the machiney Showing 4 soigne parts diagrammatically andsoxne parts'brQkeI-l away; Fgure a rearelevational View oi the maonine with someparts brpkenawayi,

Figure 4 isf aside elevational viewof a sub'- assemblywth some parts cross-section and some hautsy broken away, showing the mechanism for supporting the stacking fixture and for shiftingitlaterallyr V Figure 5 is an enlarged detail top plan view of the mechanism for shifting the stacking fixture laterally;

. Figure is atop plan view of the stacking fixture with a portion of the Worktable broken away;

Figure. 7 is ,a front elevational view thereof;

Figure ,81s a perspective view of a portion of theworlztarzde5V Figure 9 is a perspective View including diagrammatieportions with Some Parts broke avai. illustrating thecounting mechanism; Vand ,Figure 1 9 is aside elevational view ofthe main part of the foot actuating mechanism for the machine, 4

mentioned -above the description of the construction and operation of the machine will be `rela edto f' .fl theinl'lition adapted forsta'ckin'g u latng andconducting plates 'e'nSes AInthi's( description it 'at tnejnsulating platesare ,Slflljthin rectangular plates ofmica, and that theyconductingplat'es"are, of metal foil supplied to the machie'in the ferm of a tte rou, from wht 1r aen-j inaividal plate for the condenser is cette proper aneth; Als is usual in a condenser o flthisftype, the insulating' plates are vertically aligtiedlheilig4 superimposed' one up'n the other, andthe conducting plates' are interleaved therewith,` and project alternately from opposite sides tion of the embodiment of the invention illus- This invention resides substantially in thecomsof ,clu tively connected- Itis com-monpractice@ @.111 lese auch a stack: @paulatina andcnsuqtng plateswithin a casing which is molded about gamer? the stack. Th'e machine herein disclosed, however, is concerned only with the stacking of the insulating and conducting plates.

Referring now to Figures 1, 2 and 3, it will be seen that the machine comprises a pair of suitably shaped side plates I and 2 which are held rigidly .in spaced parallel relation by means of a U-shaped casting seen best in Figure 4, comprising a base 9 and a pair of vertical walls I9 and I3. This [casting is mounted between the plates I and 2 so that the wall I3 is at the front of .the machine.

The side plates are attached thereto by means the rods and 6 are the circular discs 3 and 4' between which the tape roll RF of metal foil may be positioned. By means of this construction the separation between the positioning plates 3 and 4 can be adapted to foil rolls of different tape widths.

Journaled between the side plates by the shaft I5 is a tape roll supporting roll I4, positioned under the guide discs 3 and 4, as will be seen from Figures 1 and 3. In front of the roll I4, and journaled in the adjustable bearing I1 is the shaft I1 on which a supporting and tape feeding roll I6 is positioned, at the end of which is a gear 29 (see Fig. 3). Journaled between the side plates and directly under the roll I6 by shaft I9' (see Fig. 2) is a tape feeding roll I8, at the end of which is a gear I9 (see Fig. 3) meshing with the gear 20. In order to simplify as much as possible the showing in Figure 1 the dotted circles I6 and I8, as illustrated in that ligure,

vreally represent the pitch'circlesI of the gears I9 and 29. vThe foil roll RFwhen positioned between the guide platesA 3 and 4' rests on the rolls I4 and I6, as will be seen from Figure I. The end of the tape passes in back of roll Iland is advanced forwardly of the machine towards the operator, who would sit at the right (Fig. `1) facing the machine, bypassing between the rolls I6 and I8, which feed the tape. As will vappear` later, the rolls IB and I8'are driven'during the feeding operation, while roll I4 is an idlerrroll, so that thev roll of foil RF will be rotated astheltape is fed Vfrom it. y

The end of the shaft I9 which supports the roll I8, projects from the left hand side of the machine (see Fig. 2), and haslrotatably mounted thereon a collar 22, in the slotted end o-f which is secured one end of the lever 23 (see Fig. 9). Secured to the inside face of the collar 22 is a lever 24, which is radially aligned with the lever 23. Secured on shaft I9' is'a large ratchet wheel 21, locked on the shaft by means of the screw 28. Pivotally mounted on the screw 23 on arm 23 is a spring loaded pawl 25, engaging the teeth of the ratchet wheel 21. Secured ,to the bar 32, adjacent the free end of arm 24, is a support for the spring biased ball detents 3| comprising a front plate 29 and a back plate 39, defining a passage into which theend of arm 24 may operate. The bar 32 is longitudinally reciprocable in a groove in the outer face of side plate I (see Figs. 1 and 2), which with the bars 33 attached to the side plates I by the screws 33" forms a guideway for the bar 32. The bar 32 is rabbeted along its to-p and bottom edges to-form guiding faces Vcooperating with the bars 33. Theupper bar 33 is provided at its 'rear end witha projecting pin 33 forming a stop tobe engaged by the 4 arm 24 upon its return stroke (see Fig. 9). The rear end of the bar 32 is notched, as shown in Figure 1, and provided with an inclined cam surface 32 for a purpose to be described later.

Longitudinal reciprocation of bar 32 may be effected in any suitable manner, as for example by means of the foot operated lever system disclosed particularly in Figure 10. A bell crank lever 35 is pivotally attached at 34 to the bar 32 and is pivotally mounted at 36 on a plate 31, which may be attached to the. suppont for the machine. The other end of .the bell crank 35 is pivotally connected by a link 39 to a bell crank lever 39 which is pivotally mounted on a bearing bracket 49, likewis-e attached to the support for the machine. The other arm 4I of the bell crank extends downwardly to a foot treadle (not shown) by means of which it may be rocked back and forth, Icausing reciprocation of the bar 32.

Also mounted on the projecting end of shaft I9 (see Fig. 2) is a split collar 42 having radial extensions 443 (see Fig. 1),con'nectedby means of a screw for adjustably clamping the collar in any desired circumferential position on the shaft. The extensions 43 on the collar are positioned to engage an adjustable screw 44 mounted on the side plate I (see Figs. 1 and 9) 'the function of these parts will be referred to later. A second spring biased pawl 46 engages the ratchet wheel 21 and is pivotally mounted at 46 on a block 45, attached to the side plate I (see Figs. 1 and 9). The supporting block 45 is attached to the side plate I by means of the cap screws 45' (see Fig. 1).

Attached to the rear edge of side plate I is a suitably shaped guide block 41 forming a guideway for the Vertical reciprocable ratchet bar 49 and the camming bar 48 (see Fig. 3). Attached to the lower end of the camming bar 48'is a plate 50 (se'e Fig. l) which yserves as a support for a spring biased pawl 5 I pivotally mountedi thereon and positioned to engage the teeth of the ratchet Ibar 49 (see Fig. 3). The lowerrfront corner 50' of the camming bar 49 is positioned to cooperate with the camming surface 32' on the bar 32 (see Fig. 1),. The upper end of the ratchet bar 49 is provided with a transversely projecting pin 52 which has several functions, one of which is to limit the downward movement of the ratchet bar 49 by engaging the top o-fv the guide block 41. Attached to the outer face of the side plate I at its rear edge is a support 56 (see Fig. 1)j which in turn pivotally supports a spring biased pawl 55also engaging the teeth of the ratchet vbar 49. Mounted in support 56 is a vertically extending i |bar or rod 54 on which is mounted asupport 53 for a microswitch 53. The support 53' is vertically adjustable on the rod 54, and islocked in any desired position by means of a set -screw 55. The operating arm for the microswitch'is shown at 53", and is positionedto be engaged by the transverse pin 52 at the upper limit of travel of the rack bar 49. V

Attached to the inner face of the vside plate I is a suitably shapedY bearing member .'59 for a horizontal shaft 58, lying along the inner face of the side plate. The rear end of shaft 58 is provided with a lever 51 (see Fig. 3), for cooperation with the upper end of the camming bar 48. A coil compression spring 69 encircles the shaft 59 and acts on the shaft to force it rearwardly causing the shearing blade 62 to engage the shearing bar 33 under pressure, Vinsuring goodshearing cooperation ofthe shearing edges on blade 62 and bar 63.

Attached to the front end of shaft 58 Y('s-ee Fig.

Vthe stacking xture.

with respect to the front of the machine.

aigues? 'blade `62. `The lower cutting edge of the shearing blade 162 cooperatesfwith a shearing .edge GQ on-a shearing .bar 63, attached to the topedge of the :front wall I3 of the side plate brace. The shear- Iingedges of the members 62 and 53 are normally separated as `shown in Figure 2, so Vthat the foil tape may issue forwardly .of the machine between lthese cutting edges, -when fed by the rolls I6 and IS. Since the roll I5 is not directly journaled in the side plates I and 2, but is journaled in a pair of vertically adjustable bearing blocks Il" attached to the side plates, the roll II may be ver.- tically radjusted. with respect to the roll I8, to insure the proper gripping and feeding action of the -rolls IG and I8 for the metal tape. A spring t5 mou-nted in the side plate I engages the supporting lever IBI, for the shearing blade 62, to aid in normally holding the shearing blade in the position shown in Figure 2.

Turning now to Figure 4, it will be seen that the front face of the front wall I3 of the cross `orace is provided with a horizontal groove which is overlapped by a pair `of guide bars @t (see also Fig. 2), forming a guideway for the support for rIhis support includes a block-6l attached to a T-shaped slide It by means of the screws and dowels 68. Thus the support can slide horizontally in a transverse direction stacking xture is diagrammatically illustrated at SF in Figure 2 to clearly show its position. However, it is shown in greater detail in Figures fl, 6,'7 and 8.

The stacking fixture which is attached to the top of the supp-ort block S'I by means of screws includes a base plate 'II along the rear edge ci which is -mounted an L-shaped guide bar 12. In front of this guide lbar and at the front edge of the base plate II are a pair of bars 'I3 having their inner ends spaced at the center of the fixture, as is clear from Figure 6. Thebar 'I2 and the bars 'I3 form a channel extending transversely of the base plate I in which the indexing bars 'I4 may slide. These indexing bars are provided with elongated slots I5 so as to have limited sliding movement on the base plate on the screws ll.. The Ybase plate II is provided with keyways '75 in which projections 14 on the bottom faces oi the indexing bars 'I4 slide. mally hold the indexing bars Id in their extreme outward positions, as shown in Figure 6.` Adjust- `able stop screws 8i) are mounted on the bars 14 so as to engage the base plate 'II when the bars are moved towards the center to limit the distance which `they may move inwardly.

'Pivotally mounted on this xture by means of the screw 83 isa worktable 32 which is provided with an open slot 8'! at its rear edge for guiding and supporting engagement with a headed screw 83. Thus the worktable 82 may be swung in a Aclockwise direction looking down on it, into and out of position, as will be described shortly. rIhe base lplate 'II is provided with a finger recess 85 which is aligned with the ends of the short bars 'I3 and with a guideway 84 cut in the top of the worktable and best seen in Figure 8. Attention .is also called to the shallow notch 86 in the front vertical face of the L-shaped bar 12, and the notched corners I3 of the bars 13. In stacking Vcondensers ofthe type for which this particular embodiment of the invention was developed, the notches 86 and 'I3'` serve as the means for properly 4positioning the mica insulating plates, as

Athey are slid into position down the guideway- 84' The Springs 3l nor- 6 into seating relation with these notches.l Figure 7 isa front edge view of the stacking ixture.

Also `supported on the front wall I3, of the bracing member for the side'plates, in a supporting block 89 which is secured in place by means of screws and dowels, as shown. Journaled on the top of this support are a pair of meshing gears i, SI. The gear 9) meshes with a rack 92 secured to the inside face of the bar 3,2, and is Vexposed through an opening in the side wall I.

Mounted on the gear 9| and secured thereto is a block on which is pivotally mounted a pawl Si biased by a spring 95 to alternately engage a pair of diametrically opposed notches on the indexing disc S3. The gear 9| and support 96 are secured together for conjoint movement while the indexing disc 93 is freely mounted on the bearing pin for the gear 9| and is driven by means of lthe pawl Se. A spring pressed detent lS'I mounted on the wall I3 cooperates with a pair of diametrically opposed indexing notches in the disc 93. A link s3 pivotally interconnects the indexing disc 93 with the support 61 for the stacking iixture by means of a pivot screw 9S. This connection is not shown in Figure 2 because the stacking xture support is shown in central position, whereas the link 93 and driving mechanism for reciprocating the stacking fixture is shown in the position corresponding to the right hand position of the stacking xture.

The remaining structural features cf the invention are illustrated in Figure 9. They include electromaenet Ieil having a reciprocable armature or core I il! provided with a transversely extending bar Id? at its end in which moimted the pins It and itil. Pins IES and are respectively pivotally connected to the racl; bar 55 and 5I. A switch ISS at the front of the machine is provided for energizing the winding of the electromagnet IQI, by means of an; obvious circuit and current source, not shown. At i536 is a signal light which is to be ce 'rooted by a suitable circuit and current source, of obvious form, to the microswitch 53. electromagnet 4associated equipment 'ides mechanism for releasing the counting device upon the completion of stack to return it to position for the next operation, as will be described more fully in the operation of the machine.

A complete description of the operation of the mechanism follows, tis to be assumed that all of the parts are in the position illustrated in Figures l 2 with the exception that the stacking fixture instead of being in the centralized position shown in Figure 2 will b-e to the right so that the of the seat, in support 61, for the connecting pin de will coincide with the axis of the pin QQ. lt will also be assumed that a roll of foil tape RF is in position with the tape extending between the rolls I5 and I8 and up to the shearing edges. it is further to be assumed that the worlztable 82 is in work position as shown in Fgiue 6. The operator slides a piece of mica down the guideway 8d into position so that its rear corners engage the ends of the notch 3e and its front corners lie in the notches li. This exactly positions the insulating plate. The operator then depresses the treadle at the lower end f lever 5I (Fig. l0), causing the bar 52 to slide to the rear of the machine. The spring pressed balls 3l being carried by this bar and being in engagement with the front edge of lever 26.1, drive that lever in a clockwise di- Aof the pawl 25 with the teeth thereof.

lever ratchet wheel 21 and, of course, clockwise rotation of roll i8. Lever 23 carries ratchet wheel 21 with it by reason of the engagement Due to the gears I9 and 20 roller |6 will revolve in a counterclockwise direction so that the metal foil is fed forwardly between the edges of the shears. This motion continues until the lugs 43 on collar 42 engage the stop dll, which parts have been adjusted so that al proper length of foil will be projected between the shearing edges. During this operation the spring biased pawl 46 slides over the teeth of the ratchet wheel 21. When lugs 43 engage the stop 44, further rotation of shaft |9 and connected parts is interrupted, which action can occur because the spring pressed balls 3| will yield and pass by the lever 24. The operating mechanism for the feed rollers |6 and |3 remain in that position while the bar 32 continues its rearward travel. Near the end of the stroke of the bar 32 the camming surface 32 engages the camming surface 50' on the lower end oi the camming bar 43. This raises the camming bar 48 a predetermined distance, carrying the spring biased pawl 5| with it, which by reason of its engagement with the teeth of the ratchet bar 49 raises it a predetermined amount.

The upper movement i the cam bar 48 by reason of its engagement with the lever 51, Fig. 3, causes counterclockwise rotation of shaft 58 when viewed from vthe rear, and hence clockwise rotation when viewed from the front, Fig. 2.

vThis causes the shearing blade 62 to swing downwardly to cooperate with the xed shearing edge 64, and cut off the projecting end of the metal tape. The severed plate, thus formed, drops down upon the previously placed insulating plate with one end projecting beyond the insulating plate to the right (viewing the machine from the operators position). This is so because during the rearward movement of bar 32 gears 90 and 9| were rotated by the rack 92 attached to the back of bar 32. The resulting rotation of gear 9| has caused counterclockwise rotation (Fig. of the indexing disc 93 by reason of the fact that the support 96 for the spring biased pawl 94 is rotated in the same direction because of its connection with the gear 9|. The parts are so proportioned that by the time the bar 32 reaches the end oi its stroke in a rearward direction the index disc 93 has been rotated 180 degrees, pulling link 98 to the left so as to be in a diametrically opposite position with respect to that shown in Figure 5. This movement of the link 98 to the left carries the stacking xture to the left. it will be understood that since the support S6 is connected to gear 9| it will have moved around from the position shown in Figure 5, to the diametrically opposite position. To insure that the stacking fixture is in proper position the spring pressed detent 91 engages the indexing notch of disc 93 provided for the purpose. It is for this reason that the foil plate drops down onto the insulating plate with its end projecting beyond the insulating plate to the right thereof as stated above.

The operator then returns the foot treadle mechanism back to its beginning position, which return can be aided by the proper counterweight, not shown, as is usual for similar devices. This return movement of the foot operated mechanism carries bar 32 back to its initial position. It will be recalled that the spring pressed balls 3| are now at the lower edge or side of lever 24.

"I'hus, as the bar,32 moves back to the right (Fig. 1), arms 23 and 24 move in a counterclockwise direction. During this movement the ratchet wheel 21 will be held against return movement by the spring biased pawl 46. This operation continues until the upper edge of lever 24. strikes the Xed stop pin 33' (Fig. 9). The bar 32 and attached parts will continue its movement towards the front of the machine since the spring pressed pawls will yield and ride over the arm 24. This insures that the arm 24 and attached parts will return to the same position each time. In the meantime the operator has slipped the second plate of insulating material down the groove 84 onto the top of the foil plate which has just been deposited. During the return movement of the bar 32 the stacking fixture does not move because the spring biased pawl 04 is moving in a clockwise direction with respect to the indexing disc 93 as gear 9| rotates back to its original position, carrying the support 96 with it.

The operator again depresses the foot treadle to repeat the operations which are the same as those previously described, with the exception of the fact that the indexing disc 93 is rotated in the same direction, that is counterclockwise another 180 degrees, to move the link 98 back to the position shown in Figure 5, carrying the stacking xture with it to the right, so that when the next metal plate drops down onto the stack its end will project to the left thereof. Of course, rack bar 49 has moved up another step. These operations continue until a predetermined number of metal plates have been deposited on the stack, which fact is signaled by the arrival 0f the rack bar 49 to a point Where its projecting pin 52 will engage the Ioperator 53 of the microswitch and close it. The closing of microswitch completes a circuit to the signal lamp |06, signaling the operator that the desired number of metal foils have been deposited on the stack. Thus the condensers assembled with the aid of this machine will be insured of uniform capacity characteristics by the counting mechanism, which does not require any conscious thought on the part of the operator.

Upon energization of the signal lamp |06 the operator deposits another insulating plate on top of the stack and then presses the indexing bars 14 inwardly (Fig. 6) as far as they will go, as determined by the setting of the screws 80. The facing ends of the indexing bars 1-4 engage the projecting ends of the metal plates and slide them towards each other from opposite sides, insuring an accurate overlapping or interleaving of the metal plates with respect to each other Yand the insulating plates, so that the active portions of the condenser will be accurately aligned transversely, and the ,projecting ends, to which the leads are to be attached, willl likewise be aligned. The operator then swings the worktable 82 about the pivot screwV 83, so that the stack may be grasped Vfrom above and from below through the iinger opening for removal from the machine. O-f course, the indexing bars return to normal position shown in Figure 6, under the influence of springs 8|, as s-oon as they are released. Worktable 82 is then swung back into position, as shown -in Figure 6. Switch |05 is closed to energize the winding of the resetting electromagnet |00 which by attracting its core |0| releases the pawls 5| and 55 so that the rack bar- 49 can drop down to starting position, as shown in Figure 1. The 'machine Vis now ready to repeat the operation of stacking the next condenser. A

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that by the proper adjustment of the collar 42 and screw i4 any desired Width of plate cut off from the foil tape can be determined upon within the capacity of the machine. The yielding connection between the mechanism for driving the feed roller i9 and the bar 32 insures that for any setting of these parts all the sheared 01T tape lengths will be of the same length. This is true because on the return stroke the arm 24 and connected parts is always brought back to the same position, by engaging the stop pin 33. In a feeding direction the movement of this mechanism is limited by the engagement of lugs i3 with the screw lili. Circumferential adjustment of collarfi o-n shaft I9 permits a rough determination ci the foil lengths to be cut and adjusting screw it permits a final and more accurate setting.

The number of foil plates stacked in each condenser is predetermined by vertically adjusting the position of the mic-roswitch 53 on the support 54 by means of the set screw 55, as previously explained, Thus any number of metal foils may be stacked in each condenser as predetermined by this adjustment and, of course, within the capacity of the machine. The transverse position of the metal plates within the stack can be determined by adjusting the screws 80.

It will be readily apparent from the above description that the mechanism herein disclosed is eminently adapted to increase the speed and accuracy with which plates or sheets may be stacked, and particularly conducting and insulating plates comprising an electrical condenser. One source of error in an entirely hand stacking method, that is the necessity for remembering or counting the number of metal plates put into the stack, is eliminated by the automatic counting mechanism, which requires no other conscious effort on the part of the operator other than to observe the lighting of the lamp |06.

From the above description it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the subject matter of this invention is not limited to the exact form of structure herein disclosed for the purpose of teaching the reproduction of this invention. I do not, therefore, desire to be strictly limited to the disclosure, but rather by the true scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. In a condenser stacking machin-e, the combination comprising means for feeding a tape foil along a defined path, means for shearing the tape into pieces of predetermined length, a stacking fixture positioned to receive the sheared lengths, means actuated with said shearing means for transversely shifting said fixture alternately to the right and left of said path for each 4operation of the feeding means so that successive sheared pieces are stacked on said fixture alternatively displaced with respect to the center of the stack and means forming part of said stacking fixture for guiding an insulating sheet centrally of said stacked pieces.

2. Tn a condenser stacking machine, the combination comprising means for supporting a foil tape roll, means for feeding the tape from said roll in predetermined lengths, means actuated with the feeding means for shearing the tape at the end of each feeding operation, a stacking fixture positioned to receive said sheared pieces in stacked relation, means for supporting said stacking fixture for movement alternatively to opposite sides` of the center line of said tape, means for conjointly operating said last means and said feeding means and means supported on said stacking fixture for guiding an insulating sheet centrally of the sheared pieces stacked on said iixture.

JOSEPH A. POITRAS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 748,198 McDowell et al. Dec. 29, 1903 1,941,106 Park, Jr. Dec, 26, 1933 2,352,926 Weiss July 4, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 1,463 Great Britain Jan. 21, 1908 5,444 Great Britain Nov. 15, 1882 l172,160 Great Britain Oct. 3, 1916 

